Prospectors’ Day in the community of Republic, near Kettle River-Buckhorn (KRB), is an important festival to celebrate the region’s 110 years of mining heritage and has been held for 6 decades.
At this year’s Prospectors’ Day in June, Kinross unveiled a gold-coloured obelisk to mark KRB’s long mining history and its 1.1 million ounce gold pour. The monument was built by the Kinross mill maintenance team.
Prospector’s Day was particularly significant as the Kettle River-Buckhorn mine gets ready for closure in 2016. Kinross has been helping the community and employees prepare for this transition by creating a comprehensive closure plan, which includes environmental reclamation, skills training and career counselling, and the redeployment of KRB employees to other Kinross sites.
“This monument signifies our ongoing commitment to the community,” said Mark Ioli, Vice-President and General Manager, Kettle River-Buckhorn.
Washington State Representative Shelly Short sent remarks for the occasion: “The Buckhorn operation is proof that environmental protection and the use of our natural resources can go hand-in-hand. Operations like this create real wealth in the communities in which they do business. I am so proud of the positive difference you have made in our community.”
Gold production began at the Kettle Mine in 1990. Since then, over 2,600,000 ounces of gold have been mined from six deposits.
“We want to be as successful during closure and reclamation as we were during operation,” said Gina Myers, Environmental Manager.
21 feet tall, the obelisk just moments after it was erected
Ready for a close-up
